Hello Friends, Akshay Bhardwaj Here. We are continuing our English grammar series for the upcoming SSC CGL 2026 and CPO Mains exams.
If you read my previous guides, we have already conquered Advanced Verbs and Active/Passive Voice. Today, we are mastering a heavy-weight topic – Narration (Direct and Indirect Speech).
Many aspirants lose marks here because they mix up the rules with Voice. Let’s clear this up immediately – In Voice, the tense never changes. In Narration, the tense almost always changes.
Narration questions appear in bulk during Mains. If your rules are sharp, you can score full marks in seconds. Below are my personal notes and the top rules you need. I have kept them simple, direct, and exam-focused.
Table of Contents
The Basics – Reporting Verb vs Reported Speech
Before jumping into the rules, you must know these two terms:
- Reporting Verb – The phrase outside the inverted commas. (Example: He said)
- Reported Speech – The exact dialogue inside the commas. (Example: “I am working.“)
When changing Direct to Indirect speech, we remove the inverted commas and usually use a connector word like “that”.
Check out another post – Top 30 Advanced Verb Rules You Must Know for SSC CGL 2026 and SSC CPO Mains.
Top 25 Rules of Narration for SSC CGL 2026
1. The ‘Present/Future’ Exception
If the reporting verb is in the Present tense (says/say) or Future tense (will say), the tense inside the reported speech does not change.
Direct: He says, “I am busy.”
Indirect: He says that he is busy.
Exam Tip: Many students blindly change “am” to “was”. Always check the reporting verb first.
2. The Universal Truth Exception
If the dialogue is a scientific fact, universal truth, or daily habit, the tense does not change, even if the reporting verb is “said”.
Direct: The teacher said, “The earth goes round the sun.”
Indirect: The teacher said that the earth goes round the sun.
3. ‘Said to’ changes to ‘Told’
If “said” is followed by an object (said to him), it becomes “told”. If there is no object, it remains “said”.
Direct: Ram said to me, “I will help you.” -> Indirect: Ram told me that he would help me.
Direct: Ram said, “I will help you.” -> Indirect: Ram said that he would help me.
4. Present Indefinite to Past Indefinite
A simple present tense (V1) inside changes to a simple past tense (V2).
Direct: She said, “I play chess.”
Indirect: She said that she played chess.
5. Present Continuous to Past Continuous
Is/am/are + ing changes to was/were + ing.
Direct: He said, “I am reading a book.”
Indirect: He said that he was reading a book.
6. Present Perfect to Past Perfect
Has/have + V3 changes to had + V3.
Direct: They said, “We have finished the work.”
Indirect: They said that they had finished the work.
7. Past Indefinite to Past Perfect (SSC’s Favorite Trap)
Simple past (V2) changes to past perfect (had + V3).
Direct: He said, “I bought a car.”
Indirect: He said that he had bought a car.
8. Past Continuous to Past Perfect Continuous
Was/were + ing changes to had been + ing.
Direct: She said, “I was waiting for you.”
Indirect: She said that she had been waiting for me.
9. Tenses That NEVER Change
The Past Perfect (had + V3) and Past Perfect Continuous (had been + ing) remain exactly the same in indirect speech.
10. Modal Changes
Most modals shift to their past forms in indirect speech:
| Direct Speech | Indirect Speech |
| Can | Could |
| May | Might |
| Will / Shall | Would / Should |
11. Modals That DO NOT Change
Could, would, should, might, and ought to remain the same.
Direct: She said, “You should study.”
Indirect: She said that I should study.
12. The ‘Must’ Rule
“Must” usually changes to “had to” because it indicates a compulsion in the past.
Direct: He said, “I must leave now.”
Indirect: He said that he had to leave then.
13. Time and Place Words
Words showing nearness change to words showing distance. Memorize this chart:
| Direct Word | Indirect Word |
| Now | Then |
| Today | That day |
| Tomorrow | The next day |
| Yesterday | The previous day |
| Here | There |
| This | That |
14. The ‘SON’ Rule for Pronouns
This is the foolproof method for changing pronouns:
- S (Subject): First-person (I, We) changes according to the Subject.
- O (Object): Second-person (You) changes according to the Object.
- N (No Change): Third-person (He, She, It, They) stays the same.
15. Interrogative (Yes/No Questions)
If a question starts with a helping verb (is, do, have, will), use “if” or “whether” instead of “that”. Change “said” to “asked”.
Direct: He said to me, “Are you a student?”
Indirect: He asked me if I was a student.
16. Interrogative (Wh- Questions)
For questions starting with a Wh-word (What, Why, Where), do not use “if” or “that”. The Wh-word becomes the connector.
Direct: She said to him, “Where do you live?”
Indirect: She asked him where he lived.
17. The ‘Statement’ Trap in Questions
In indirect speech, a question converts into a normal statement. The helping verb goes after the subject, and the question mark is dropped.
Incorrect: I asked him where did he live.
Correct: I asked him where he lived.
18. Imperative Sentences (Orders and Advice)
For commands or advice, change “said to” to ordered, requested, or advised. Connect the sentence with “to + V1”.
Direct: The doctor said to me, “Take rest.”
Indirect: The doctor advised me to take rest.
19. Imperative Negative Sentences
For negative commands (“Don’t”), use “not to”.
Direct: He said to me, “Don’t go there.”
Indirect: He ordered me not to go there. (Note: If you use the word “forbade”, do not use “not”.)
20. Proposals (‘Let’s’)
If a sentence starts with “Let us”, it is a proposal. Change “said” to “proposed” or “suggested”. Use “that” and change “let us” to “we should” or “they should”.
Direct: He said, “Let’s go for a walk.”
Indirect: He suggested that they should go for a walk.
21. Permission (‘Let’)
If “let” is used to ask for permission, use “to let”.
Direct: The boy said, “Let me play.”
Indirect: The boy requested to let him play.
22. Optative Sentences (Prayers and Wishes)
For wishes or prayers, change “said” to “wished” or “prayed”. The format becomes a standard statement.
Direct: He said to me, “May you live long!”
Indirect: He prayed that I might live long.
23. Exclamatory Sentences
Sentences showing sudden emotion use “exclaimed with joy/sorrow/surprise”.
Direct: They said, “Hurrah! We won the match.”
Indirect: They exclaimed with joy that they had won the match.
24. Greeting Words
Use wished for “Good Morning”. Use bade for “Good Night” or “Goodbye”.
Direct: He said, “Good morning, sir.”
Indirect: He respectfully wished his sir good morning.
25. Sir and Madam
If direct speech includes respectful words like “Sir” or “Your Honor”, add the word “respectfully” to the indirect speech.
Direct: The student said, “Sir, may I come in?”
Indirect: The student respectfully asked if he might come in.
My Personal Strategy – How to Solve in 5 Seconds
Just like Voice, Narration is a game of Option Elimination. Do not try to rewrite the whole dialogue in your head from scratch; you will just burn the clock.
Here is my 3-step scan for SSC exams:
- Check the Reporting Verb: If it says “He says” (present tense), immediately cross out any options that change the tense inside the quote.
- Check the Tense Change: If the direct speech has a V2 verb (like bought), your brain should instantly look for had + V3 (had bought). Eliminate options that still use V2 or switch to has bought.
- Check the Time Words: This is the ultimate cheat code. If the direct speech has “tomorrow”, the correct answer must have “the next day”. Usually, two out of four options fail right here.
By scanning just the tense and the time words, you can eliminate the wrong options in 5 to 10 seconds.
Final Advice for SSC CGL 2026
Grammar rules look intimidating when reading them from a heavy textbook. But when you break them down, they are purely logical.
Make short notes of these 25 rules and stick them on your desk. Open your previous year question (PYQ) sets and solve 50 narration questions using the elimination trick above. Your speed and accuracy will spike instantly.
Keep revising, stay healthy, and keep practicing. Do not forget to fill the SSC CGL form 2026. See you in the next article.